The good, the bad, and the dumb of the Riders’ 29-16 win over Ottawa

Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Roughriders

Like a good pot of chilli, good things come to those who wait.

It was slow cooking on Saturday afternoon in front of 27,676 fans at Mosaic Stadium. The Riders connected on five field goals before running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon burst the dam open with a 26-yard touchdown run that put away the Ottawa Redblacks en route to a 29-16 win.

The Riders not only took a big step forward in their quest to clinch a playoff spot — as they are now just one point shy of accomplishing that, according to my math — but they also now sit second in the West thanks to the B.C. Lions’ loss to Hamilton on Friday night.

Here’s the good, the bad, and the dumb of the Riders’ seventh win of the season.

The Good

This game had the vibes we’ve seen before, and not good ones.

Despite two interceptions on back-to-back pass attempts by Jeremiah Masoli in the second quarter, the Riders weren’t able to do anything with the opportunities and led just 6-0. The offence moved the ball well for most of the game but finishing wasn’t their forte.

While it was not a banner day for the offence, they were picked up by a defence that returned to their early season form. Not only did they generate three turnovers but they also kept Ottawa out of the end zone until there were just two minutes remaining. Ottawa would have had at least another major if not for a horrific drop by a wide-open receiver Keaton Bruggeling in the end zone, but sometimes you have to be lucky to be good.

Redblacks’ quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who was starting in place of injured starter Dru Brown, never looked comfortable and the Riders took advantage of an Ottawa offence that never found its footing, waiting for their chance rather than trying to force the issue.

As an aside, remember when people wanted kicker Brett Lauther cut after he missed four kicks against Montreal? He was a perfect seven-for-seven this afternoon. He’s rebounded nicely since perhaps the worst game of his career.

The Bad

While I do still take issue with a couple of decisions by head coach Corey Mace to punt just shy of mid-field, that wasn’t the worst thing to happen in this game.

In the game’s dying seconds, Riders’ defensive back Deontai Williams tackled Redblacks’ receiver Kalil Pimpleton in a way that looked more like a finishing move in the wrestling ring than a football play.

After the catch, Williams had Pimpleton in an awkward position upside down and drove him down onto his head a little too aggressively. Unsurprisingly, flags flew and the benches cleared. For a brief second, a ref’s mic turned on and we got a glimpse into the chaos in the middle of the scrum.

Williams and Redblacks’ receiver Dominique Rhymes would both end up ejected from the game for their role in the skirmish, as the officials tried to restore order for the final six seconds of the game.

A “tackle” like that isn’t necessary at any time but it’s especially egregious in the final seconds of a game that’s been decided. Williams was rightfully flagged and tossed. I’m sure his game cheque will be a little lighter this week too.

It was not a good look for a team that already has a bit of a dirty reputation around the league.

The Dumb 

CFL officials are currently on a roll on the mic.

Over the last few weeks, head ref Ben Major has gone semi-viral for his calls after punts hit the scoreboard at BC Place. On Friday night, a punt got stuck in the scoreboard in Vancouver and led to another great announcement from Tom Vallesi.

On Saturday afternoon, it was Major’s turn yet again to give us a solid one-liner.

After a ball comically landed in the lap of a splayed-out Dominique Rhymes after being tipped by his teammate Nick Mardner on a scramble play from Masoli, the receiver was eventually called for offensive pass interference.

The key word is “eventually” because there was a pretty long delay from the end of the play until the penalty was announced. A fairly long discussion took place between the officials and the command centre before Major cracked his mic and made the call.

“After all of this…we have offensive pass interference.”

Was Major himself also fed up with how long that took? Maybe. Either way, I’m here for the league’s refs showing some personality on the mic.